I like my Apple Watch (42mm black Sport model) a lot. I have been wearing it exclusively on my wrist for almost a year now. It is a very compelling blend of hardware and software that is a very good Version 1.0 of a product. I won’t go into all the things I like about it here, but, there are enough of them to keep it on my wrist for about a year.

But, it needs some help. Rumor is that the might be a new watch of some sort this fall, but, in the meantime here are my observations:

It is too slow. Period. I think it’s a hardware thing first, then a software issue. So, I guess I’m saying that I feel it’s underpowered. There are too many times where it doesn’t register a wrist turn, or a tap on the glass to wake up. Simply checking the time seems to take too much time, way too often. Asking it to show some info from a compilation can take way longer than it should.

I really hate the times where I will swipe on the screen and nothing happens – I’m not sure if it is the sensor hardware on the glass, or if that is the CPU not handling the input. But too slow. It doesn’t happen all the time, but each time it does, it registers as an annoyance.

The software on the watch doesn’t respond quickly at times, but I believe most of those instances are to be blamed on the communication between watch and phone. Could communications be sped up with a faster processor ? Probably.

I wish it had more hardware – GPS would be a great start for me. I’ve read a lot of people asking about additional sensors: Glucose, skin perspiration, temperature, etc. Those sound well and fine, but also seem too fringe to me.

Apple has to appeal to the masses to drive adaptation – and right now, the most compelling use of the watch has to be the fitness aspects. I think Apple will add the GPS chip and a much faster CPU to the next watch.

I don’t need a camera (I think) unless Apple has some new use case for me that I haven’t thought about yet.

In the next part, I throw out some suggestions on how to improve the software (at least according to me…)

Everyone you meet or interact with has their own story, their own “stuff” going on. Sometimes it’s amazing, sometimes it’s scary, and sometimes it’s nothing but different from your stuff.

It’s important to remember that we never know what the other person is currently dealing with, or has had to deal with in their lives. Sometimes there is a very good reason the other person was short with us, or didn’t seem interested in interacting with us.

If we are open and inquisitive, sometimes we can get other people to open up a little and tell us about their story. These times can be magical to help us remember that we are all so much more similar than we are different. We have hopes and dreams, heartache and heartbreak, triumphs and failures.

In today’s desperate dash to keep busy, we could all do with a pause to bond just a little with our fellow humans – to give our time and attention to their story, to learn, to realize we are all in this together…

Today, Tesla introduces their Model 3. Probably the most anticipated car over the last several years, at least since Tesla introduced the Model X.

This introduction, for a car that won’t ship in volume for another 1.5 years, is causing a frenzy that is more like an Apple product launch than anything I’ve seen before.

Tesla allowed customers to go into stores today and will open up online reservations later tonight. From all accounts and pictures, tens of thousands of people gave up their day to wait in line and give $1000 to a company for a product they won’t see for at least 18 months.

Tesla is taking online reservations for the car tomorrow. By putting $1,000 down, you will reserve your future car.

People don’t even know what the car will look like, or what options will cost. That info is supposed to come tonight when founder Elon Musk gives a presentation. We don’t know how much info he is even going to tell us, but we do know that he won’t answer all the questions – we WILL have unknowns tomorrow…

GM has announced that the Chevy Bolt will ship in 2016 – and they are testing the production line now. Another 200+ mile car for around $35k.

I have an all electric car – the Kia Soul EV. I never thought I’d drive a Kia, but now I don’t see myself driving an ICE (internal combustion engine) as my daily driver ever again. It’s not about the brand on the car, but instead, what the drive system is. I really like my Kia. It’s not perfect, there are things I’d change if I could. But I really like electric cars –

I am driving the future and I am convinced that we will all have electric cars someday. There are just too many positives and the negatives are quickly going away –

Sometimes things happen or people do things just because. Because it is who they are, because they don’t think about how we might take it, because they just do. You know what I mean, right? The comment, the look, the interruption, or the coffee that spills…

Why do we assume that the thing was done TO us? To hurt us? To shame us? To smart-ass us? We tend to assume that the universe has targeted us directly with these things. We take on ownership and responsibility for them. We give them a life on their own.

I’ve got news for you: The universe doesn’t care much about us. Other people tend not to care much either. Things happen.

If we can smile, acknowledge the action, and then move on – our lives are simpler, easier, and much less stressful.

I think that the real test in life is in how we react those things we cannot control…

I felt off most of the day, but didn’t realize why until later. That’s the way it seems to be going for me, I’m fine and then something out of the blue reminds me of him. There are times that I catch myself wondering when he is coming to visit again, or think of a golf course that we need to play… Of course, those are the times that hit the hardest.

Dad was a big man physically and he had a big heart. In fact, he lead with his heart most of the time.

He lived passionately and was the biggest optimist I will ever meet. People have told me that I do a good job of looking on the bright side of things. I used to say “you should meet my Dad.” Now I’ll have to remember to say “you should have met my Dad.”

We had Dad’s service here in Portland the Saturday before Easter, a stunningly sunny, warm spring day. I had committed to say a few things there, hoping I could keep it all together and form intelligent sentences. I knew what I wanted to say, but didn’t really put fingers to keyboard until the night before. Once I started writing, the words just flowed out.

I have put the text of what I said below, not to show off any oratory skill I do not possess, but to remind myself of the topics I covered.

Life is short, enjoy the time we have.

Don’t live in the past, or in the future; focus on today.

Love your family and close friends and make time for them.

Love, live, forgive, forget, move on.

Here is what I said that day:

Today is a day to celebrate a life, to remember the good times we had with Walt, and mourn his not being here with us. It’s a selfish day really, designed to help us – to help us all start to heal the hole in our hearts left by his passing.

One Day at a Time –

We heard that phrase a lot during the last month or so of Dads life. It seemed to be a favorite of the hospital staff whenever we asked for more information; when we asked about an outcome; when we asked about expectations…. which really wasn’t very helpful at all. Being in that situation and hearing that phrase so often really got me thinking about it really means.

One Day at a Time

And this is what I have come up with – One Day at a Time means to live life like there is no tomorrow – To live like yesterday’s woes never happened, to work your butt off to make TODAY the best day of your life – and if you get a tomorrow, then use that tomorrow to top what you did today.

Today is a day to tell stories, to cry, to hug, and to heal – One Day at a time.

I learned a lot from my Dad, I was fortunate to have worked with him in two different companies. He had an ability to listen to what a customer was saying they wanted – and then ignore what they said and instead, give them what they really needed – which often was a completely different thing …

Listening – really listening – One day at a time.

Another lesson was that passion in pursuit of a dream can be a powerful, driving force. And forgiveness is even more important.

I remember a time where we were in a argument about some detail of the business, something he was passionate about having his way and he was getting really angry with how the argument was going and he stormed out of the office – taking both hands and shoving a four foot high pile of magazine’s off the table and all over the floor on his way out.

I was left alone in the office, scared for my life for when he came back!

Instead of being angry when he got back, he gave me one of his huge, “Uncle Walt” hugs and we were all good again…

Forgiving and forgetting – One day at a time.

Another thing I learned from Dad, and many of you in this room learned too, was that he always looked on the bright side – to say the least – he was an optimist. – he assumed the best possible outcome in every situation, no matter what. Sometimes his optimism didn’t quite workout the way he assumed it would – and sometimes, that was to the detriment of us on the other side of his optimism !!

Reminds me of the lyrics by John Lennon =

“you may say I’m a dreamer, but I’m not the only one…”

Dreaming and Believing – Ond Day at a Time…

As we continue to work through our healing in the weeks and months to come, we need to remember the feeling of connection and togetherness that we are creating here in our mourning – our depending on each other, our sharing (keep the stories flowing!) and our increased closeness.

the next part of the lyrics penned by John Lennon are:

“I hope some day you’ll join us – And the world will be as one”

Because it strikes me that this togetherness, this closeness, this enjoying the time that we have and the good memories we make are what really matter.

Making the most of the time we have – One Day at a Time.

I think that sums it all up for me – what I’ve learned from my Dad, what I chose to remember – all of the best of him, and how I want to live the rest of my life moving forward.

One Day at a Time, focus on the important things in life.

Dad sent this to several of us in email a couple of years back – I think it’s a great way to be reminded that there is ALWAYS time for the truly important things in life, if we make them the priority:

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When things in your life seem, almost too much to handle, When 24 hours in a day is not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and 2 cups of coffee.

A professor stood before his philosophy classand had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls.

He then asked the students, if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

The professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar.. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls.

He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar.

Of course, the sand filled up everything else.

He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous ‘yes.’

The professor then produced two cups of coffee from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

‘Now,’ said the professor, as the laughter subsided, ‘I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life.

The golf balls are the important things – family, children, health, friends, and favorite passions. Things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full.

The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, house, and car.

The sand is everything else –The small stuff.

‘If you put the sand into the jar first,’ He continued, ‘there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life.

If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, You will never have room for the things that are important to you.

So…

Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness.

Play with your children.

Take time to get medical checkups..

Take your partner out to dinner.

There will always be time for the “sand” in life, take care of the golf balls first — The things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand.’

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the coffee represented.

The professor smiled. ‘I’m glad you asked’. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there’s always room for a couple of cups of coffee with a friend.’

Walt Gorski: My Dad passed away at 66 years of age. I will miss him for rest of my life, but he continues to live on in my heart and the lessons he leaves behind.